In the 1980s, ceramic sculptor Joe Mariscal taught at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, where he developed relationships with inmates that formed the basis of a powerful body of work.
His larger-than-life-size portrait heads of prisoners and other prison images on view at Jay Jay are almost overwhelming.
These expressionistic images of incarcerated criminals with gang tattoos and nicknames like "Joker" and "Kin" written on their necks confront the viewer with a world unknown to most of us, a hard world of violence, penitence and pain.
"Just One of the Gang" is a potent piece of sculptural art, the bust of an inmate worn and hardened by time and a dangerous life. This is a rough character, someone you'd rather not meet on the street. Adding a surreal note, Mariscal has carved eyeholes weeping tears under his shoulders. The tear tattoo is often used to designate the wearer as someone who has killed another.
Two tears appear under the eye of "Joker," a Chicano inmate who is simultaneously menacing and sad. His thick neck and broad face hint at his powerful physique while his eyes express a sense of vulnerability.
Purely menacing is "Kin," a prisoner with a shaven head and bad teeth. The most intimidating portrait of all is simply titled "Inmate," a fierce head in steely black tones with eyes swollen shut and a macabre grin.
Other works carry on the theme. A trio of arms and hands, tattooed with Asian calligraphy, clutch guns. Titled "The 3 M's," it's an edgy condemnation of violence and the proliferation of handguns in our society. Similarly, "Cause and Effect," a monumental gun and a handcuff, make a statement about the wages of crime.
Auxiliary works in the show, again largely from the 1980s, include three large plates with the faces of jazz musicians, among them Ornette Coleman, in the center. These are also powerfully sculpted, as are a couple of plates with wolves snarling at the viewer. One seems ready to lunge out of the plate.
Returning to social commentary, "Word Scramble" is a wall piece with hands formed in American Sign Language that contain a hidden message – "Can We All Get Along" – a reference to the 1991 Rodney King beating.
On a lighter note are two Olmec-type babies with brightly colored birds. They are joined by two of Mariscal's signature dog sculptures, the motif that first brought him recognition in a show at the Barrios Gallery in Alkali Flat in the late 1970s.
Academically trained at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, Mariscal uses pre-Columbian ceramic techniques that make his work stand apart from the Funk ceramists with whom he is often included. Instead, his work recalls an earlier tradition of Mexican sculpture with a kinship to the narrative expressionism that marked Sacramento art in the 1980s.
Mariscal received his master's degree in art in 1979 from California State University, Sacramento, where he studied with Robert Brady and Peter VandenBerge.
Two of his dog sculptures share the rear gallery at Jay Jay with works by VandenBerge, Robert Arneson, David Gilhooly and other artists associated with the Funk movement, as well as other prominent artists from the Central Valley, among them Robert Else and Maria Alquilar.
Titled "Dolores' House," the show pays tribute to the keen eye of collector Dolores Dietler, who assembled a wonderful collection of works by Sacramento and Davis artists over the years, which she has now put up for auction. The auction is over (though a few pieces remain for sale) but the show goes on in recognition of the important role collectors like Dietler play in the art community.JOE MARISCAL CERAMICS AND DOLORES' HOUSE
What: Academically trained at the Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, Mariscal uses pre-Columbian ceramic techniques that make his work stand apart from the Funk ceramists with whom he is often associated. This show largely dwells on social commentary with expressionistic images of incarcerated criminals with gang tattoos and nicknames such as "Joker" and "Kin." A companion exhibit, "Dolores' House," features works by Mariscal and other prominent ceramicists from the collection of Dolores Dietler.
Where: Jay Jay, 5520 Elvas Ave., Sacramento
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Wednesday-Saturday or by appointment, through Oct. 22
Cost: Free
Information: (916) 453-2999, www.jayjayart.com
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